Tasty recipes from chef Ronit Penso's kitchen

I am a big fan of tomatoes, in any shape or form, and I’m always looking for new varieties. With fresh summer tomatoes gone by now, the next option is to check which hothouse tomatoes are available at the store. When I saw the brownish-dark red Kumato tomatoes, I had to give them a try.
I later learned that they are a hybrid from Spain, have firm texture and sweet, juicy taste. I used them a couple of times in salads, combined with other types of tomatoes and vegetables, where they added their special color and flavor.
I then decided to use them in a cooked dish, and came up with the dish you have here. The tomatoes were very easy to scoop and stuff, and kept their shape nicely, though unfortunately, they lost most of their interesting color while cooking. The stuffing, with fresh herbs, pine nuts and dried currants, complemented their sweetish flavor beautifully.
As I ended up with more stuffing than I could use with the few tomatoes I’ve had, I rolled the rest of it into small meatballs, and cooked them along with the stuffed tomatoes. The dish was tasty and hearty, though not heavy at all. Try it and enjoy.

Notes:
* If you can’t get Kumato tomatoes, any medium size firm tomatoes can be used instead.
* Since the Kumato are not as acidic as most tomatoes, there was no need to add a bit of sugar to the sauce. However, if you use any other type, adjust the flavors accordingly.

1. Cut off the tomatoes tops, and scoop out the pulp and seeds. Keep it for the sauce.
2. Chop half of the onion roughly, and place in a large pan. Add the tomatoes scrapes, olive oil, salt and pepper and mix. Place over medium-high heat and cook, mixing occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the jalapeño and mix. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Keep in a warm place.
3. Place the remaining half onion in a small food processor, fitted with the metal blade. Add the meat, parsley, mint, salt, pepper, olive oil and bread crumbs and chop coarsely together. Transfer to a medium bowl, and add the pine nuts and dried currants. Mix well.
4. Stuff the tomatoes with half of the mixture, and create small meatballs with the rest.
5. Place the stuffed tomatoes and meatballs on top of the sauce in the pan. Add the stock, cover the pan and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250F (120C). Place the covered pan in it and braise for 40 minutes. Uncover the pan and place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes (if you don’t have a broiler, you can skip this step). Serve warm, with white rice.

I love tomatoes too and miss the juicy, flavorful ones of summer. The stores seem to carry these kumato tomatoes year round now but I have never given them a try during the winter. With your excellent stuffing they have to be good :)

Thank you Bernice, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised once you’ll try stuffed tomatoes. You can also choose a cheese stuffing, or vegetarian. Endless possibilities. :)

Thank you, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I never tried it with peas, but it’s definitely an option. I once made a vegetarian option by using a mix of fried onions, mushrooms and tofu, maybe it can work for you too. Another vegetarian option is using rice with vegetables.
It will be interesting to see your version. :)

Love the idea of adding currants or dried fruit to make it interesting recipe and flavour.
For another stuffing – I’d like to share my 80 yr. old mother’s recipe. ( boiled peas, rice and grated fresh coconut). Add necessary spice mix, chilli and salt. It used to be extremely popular at her ladies parties.
Maybe I should make it soon and keep you informed:)

This looks wonderfully tasty and what a great use of Kumato tomatoes. We get them from time to time in our market and I always get them when available. But I’ve never cooked with them.
As they’re on the sweeter side you’ve got a perfect idea. A “must try” recipe as soon as I see them again in the market.

Thank you Ron, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I was quite pleased with how the cooked Kumato turned out, though have to admit they’re not on the level of summer tomatoes. But it’s still great to have this option for winter time. :)

Just lovely Ronit. Reading through the recipe, I had to be transported back to a post I put up when my mother in law passed away. She always loved making stuffed tomatoes. She made them with ground turkey or beef, but hers were without a gravy. I do make them from time to time, but it is quite labor intensive getting the tomatoes ready and cooking the meat separately. Love your recipe as well, will definitely have to give it a try.

Mmmmh! Fantastic recipe~! We just had to doscover that the Kumatos available here at the moment are on the very bland side of things, so I’m going to have to save this one for a couple of weeks… or use the incredibly tasty oxheart tomatoes my usual greens vendor is only giving away to a select group of customers whose recipe-plans he agrees with these days :D I’m pretty sure he’ll love your recipe and give me the goodies~

Thank you Diana, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I definitely miss fresh summer tomatoes, but in the winter, I’ll take what I can get, especially if it’s for cooking. I like the way your vegetables vendor thinks! :)

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Ground beef can work here, just make sure it’s from a fairly fatty cut. As for the spicy pepper, you can definitely omit it and adjust to your taste and restrictions. Good luck and I hope you’ll enjoy the dish! :)